Most people have a desire to live life to the fullest with a combination of quantity and quality.

There are many parameters that may determine how long you live, however this short article presents the findings of five researchers who identified three simple tests you can do at home to measure your ability to increase years to your life.

The medical paper published in the British Medical Journal in 2014 revealed a 13 year study where they took 1,355 men and 1,411 women in 1999 when they were 53 years old and then checked to see who was alive and well 13 year later in 2012.

The following are the three tests that were evaluated:

1.  Standing on one leg with your eyes closed for 10 seconds or longer
2.  Having a strong grip,
3.  Being able to stand up and sit back down in a chair many times in a minute.

Let’s break this down a little:

1. This one is a no brainer.  The better your balance is, the less likely you will fall.
2. The more active you are the more you will be using your hands. Video games and phone use don’t count.
3. The squat (getting up from a chair): the stronger your legs are, the more you’ll be able to stop your self from falling if you did trip/stumble.  Going up and down stairs require strength as do most actives around the house (pushing a lawn mower and carrying heavy objects).  The stronger your legs are the easier actives will be. If you want to learn how to squat safely call Dr. Steve and he can teach you how.

Once again, Dr. Steve’s big three health tips: to live a healthier life, eat healthy, exercise and get adjusted to live a long healthy life.

Cooper R1, Strand BH, Hardy R, Patel KV, Kuh D.Physical capability in mid-life and survival over 13 years of follow-up: British birth cohort study. BMJ. 2014 Apr 29;348:g2219